Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating

When Hani declares to her friends that she is bisexual, they don’t believe it. To convince them, she lies and pretends she is in a relationship with another Bengali girl, Ishu—who agrees to the arrangement as long as Hani can help her become the head girl. Eventually, the two girls fall in love, and they both must navigate the struggles of belonging to a racial and religious minority in their school and community. A story that realistically presents racism, Islamophobia, homophobia, toxic friendships, gaslighting, and parental abandonment, this book is suitable as an independent reading or literature-circle choice in a Grade 9–11 classroom. As the story is told from the two girls’ perspectives, teachers may use the book to explore point of view in creative writing lessons.